To the man who places honor
above all else in his dealings with his associates, life holds no real
bitterness, for the consciousness of having obeyed the voice within
lightens discouragements and makes of them but passing dreams, each
milestone adding a measure of serene content incomparably precious to
the soul which receives it.

In the well-spent life of Mr.
Mathews, assistant superintendent of the Sacramento Electric & Gas
Railway Company, is found no element reflecting discredit upon the name
which he has given his children, and his excellent business judgment and
keen foresight give evidence of the innate executive ability which he
possesses. Born August 30, 1862, in Wyandot county, Ohio, of which
section his parents, Daniel and Emma Jane (Barnthouse) Mathews, were
among the first settlers, he accompanied the family four years later to
Clay county. Mo., from the public school of which locality he graduated
at the age of fifteen. Until 1883, when he rented a farm of his own, he
assisted his father, his close attention to his work enabling him to
take charge of his own affairs with great ease. After four years he
abandoned agricultural pursuits and going to Kansas City, Mo., he
secured a situation as conductor on the Metropolitan Street Railway, but
in 1888, tiring of city life, he returned to his home section, welcoming
gladly the duties of the farm, which at least afforded the peace and
freedom of the great out-of-doors. In 1891, having convinced him- self
that the opportunities to be secured in the west were worthy of
investigation, he disposed of his interests and set out for California,
arriving in Sacramento in November, 1891. Without difficulty he obtained
a position as conductor on the line of the Sacramento Electric & Gas
Railway Company, and after a faithful service of twenty years, during
which period he amply demonstrated his sterling qualities and his
devotion to duty, he was made assistant superintendent of the entire
line, taking charge of his office April 20, 1911, his subsequent
management of his work proving beyond criticism.

In February, 1894, in
Sacramento, Mr. Mathews was married to Miss Adelia Ilgner, whose birth
occurred in Dixon, Cal., and whose parents, William and Sophia (Gotwalt)
Ugner, natives of Germany, were early settlers in California. Mr. and
Mrs. Mathews have two children, Ruth and Olive, both of whom are
ambitious students in the Sacramento high school, and the family home at
No. 2411 K street is the scene of many a gathering of happy young
people.

A Republican of broad and
practical principles, Mr. Mathews takes a prominent part in civic
affairs, and as a supporter of the Emanuel Baptist Church, of which his
wife is a member, is counted among the most active workers for the
advancement of all uplifting projects.

Source:History of Sacramento County, California
Biographical Sketches of The Leading Men and Women of the County Who
Have Been Identified With Its Growth and Development from the Early Days
to the Present
History By: William L. Willis
Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, California (1913)